New Year, New Life (1)

When Su Xiaofei woke up, it was already afternoon. She turned her head to her side and spotted Lu Qingfeng seated on the armchair next to her bed, reading a book on his lap. He had a pair of spectacles on his face, which made him look more mature than his actual age.

Su Xiaofei smiled to herself, realizing that he had kept his promise of being there once she woke up. It was at this time that Yun Qingrong gently knocked on her door and noticed that she had already awakened.

Her mother placed the tray she was holding on the nightstand and sat on the edge of her bed, touching Su Xiaofei's forehead gently.

"You are awake." Yun Qingrong stated the obvious. "How do you feel, Feifei?" She asked.

Hearing her voice, Lu Qingfeng shut the book he was reading close and looked in Su Xiaofei's direction.

"I feel better now, Mama. I'm sorry for making you worry." Su Xiaofei replied in a low voice. She felt her throat dry and itchy and realized she hadn't eaten anything since she left their home yesterday.

Her stomach grumbled, announcing her hunger to everyone in the room. Lu Qingfeng chuckled and placed the book he was holding next to the tray on the night stand and stood up.

"I'll ask Aunty Liu to prepare something for you to eat." He said, before leaving the mother and daughter pair on their own.

Half an hour later, the two came down together, with Yun Qingrong helping her daughter down the stairs. Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng went forward and offered an arm to Su Xiaofei, which she willingly accepted.

"Ah, Miss Feifei. You should have waited for us to bring your food upstairs. You don't need to stress yourself like this, considering your injury." Aunty Liu commented. For outsiders, it might look like she was reprimanding her miss, but Su Xiaofei knew that Aunty Liu was only genuinely concerned about her.

"It's alright, Aunty. If I stay for another hour in bed, I might lose my mind." She replied with a teasing tone.

Seeing the light meal the old woman prepared just for her, Su Xiaofei smiled. She couldn't believe that she had once ignored the warm companionship she could have enjoyed with her loved ones had she not been so foolish to focus all her attention on Mo Yuchen.

She ate her meal while Aunty Liu and her mother discussed the inventory Aunty Liu did in her walk-in closet on the third level.

"It seems like it wasn't the first time that Chen Li took some of Feifei's things." Yun Qingrong said with a deep frown marring her face. "I didn't maltreat them. I even accepted them in my home, and this is how they repay me?"

"Mama, you are getting angry again. It's not worth getting mad and falling ill because of some ungrateful people. If Chen Li truly wanted those clothes, she could have them, but we should report her misconduct to the authorities. Who knew if she would do it again in the future to other people? We will be saving them from the trouble of getting involved with the Chens if they have a record like this." Su Xiaofei commented, surprising both her adoptive mother and Aunty Liu. Only Lu Qingfeng seemed to remain unperturbed by her words.

It was at that moment, Su Xiaofei realized that she had made a slip of tongue in front of her mother. Yun Qingrong had no idea that she could be this vicious towards her enemies, and Su Xiaofei was ashamed for letting her mother see this side of her.

Su Xiaofei bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze in shame. She mentally berated herself for making such a scene in front of her mother.

Yun Qingrong had never believed other people's claim that Su Xiaofei had a wicked heart who only knew how to terrorize people around her, especially Ye Mingyu. As her mother, it was only natural for Yun Qingrong to be partially biased towards her daughter, something that Su Xiaofei had shamelessly exploited in the past, breaking her mother's heart in the process.

Surprisingly, Lu Qingfeng came to her defense, backing her suggestion regarding the Chen family.

"Aunty Qing, I think what Xiaofei said is right. If you plan to fire Aunty Chen from this household, surely she would try to apply as a housekeeper in another family. If that was the case, if I was the one who was looking for a new housekeeper, I would want to know why she left the Su Residence after years of working here. Surely, no one would open their doors to servants who would eventually steal from their masters while exploiting their kindness."

Yun Qingrong fell silent at that. Did she really need to go to that extent to punish her husband's relatives?

Seeing her mother's conflicted expression, Su Xiaofei sighed in relief, but she gave Lu Qingfeng a suspicious look, wondering why he was helping her get rid of the Chen family. Did he know something that he shouldn't? She wondered.

"You don't have to rush your decision, Mama. Why don't you take pity on them and see if they are willing to change their ways?" She proposed.

Yes, take pity on the Chen family because in three days, Madam Chen would be the one who would allow Ye Xing and Ye Mingyu inside their home to distraught her mother. It would serve as the last nail on their coffin, forcing Yun Qingrong to expel them from this household for overstepping their boundaries.

"Alright. Let's do that. Since this is just their first offense, I'll give them one last chance to redeem themselves." Yun Qingrong agreed, not knowing that Madam Chen was bound to disappoint her yet again, and it would be the reason for her not to be merciful towards the Chen family.